Record Seafarer Abandonment in 2025 Highlights Deepening Industry Failure
Seafarer abandonment climbed to an unprecedented level in 2025, leaving 6,223 crew members stranded aboard 410 vessels worldwide, as reported by The Maritime Telegraph. The figures confirm that the problem is no longer episodic, but a persistent and worsening feature of global shipping.
Data from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) show a sharp year-on-year deterioration. Compared to 2024, ship abandonments increased by 31%, while the number of affected seafarers rose by 32%. Crews were owed a total of $25.8 million in unpaid wages, with only part of that sum recovered so far, leaving thousands without income or certainty about repatriation.
The ITF describes the situation as a systemic failure driven by irresponsible shipowners and weak enforcement. Indian seafarers were the hardest hit in 2025, followed by Filipino, Syrian, Indonesian, and Ukrainian crews. The Middle East recorded the highest concentration of cases, with Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates leading the statistics. Ships operating under Flags of Convenience dominated the figures, accounting for more than four-fifths of all abandonment cases.
Under international standards, abandonment includes prolonged non-payment of wages, refusal to cover repatriation costs, and the denial of basic welfare and maintenance. Maritime labour specialists warn that the human cost is growing, pushing experienced seafarers out of the profession and threatening the long-term stability of the global workforce.
To counter the trend, the ITF is calling for tougher oversight, including mandatory disclosure of beneficial ship ownership, national blacklists targeting repeat offenders, and stronger scrutiny of Flag of Convenience regimes. Without decisive regulatory action, industry observers warn that seafarer abandonment will remain a defining and damaging feature of modern shipping.
